Ch.1: World (1)
Long ago, humans were ruled by a species much superior to humans. They bred fear with overwhelming power but their reign did not last long. The rulers "disappeared". The ones who disappeared were said to have blood red eyes. The people with red eyes were feared, and called "monsters" by the other villagers. In England during the 1X century, five-year-old Lark Aflen is being bullied by three local village kids. They throw rocks at him and call him a monster, telling him that it shouldn't hurt him because he has red eyes. When Lark is visibly upset at this and denies being a monster, the child tells him to stop lying and that he shouldn't be in the village, because he has red eyes. The kid then picks up another stone and throws it at Lark, urging him to leave. Lark then begins to cry when he is hit by the rock, and further denies being a monster and lamenting over the fact that those children didn't know how much it really hurt. Later, we find lark sitting alone on the grass, crying about the earlier bullying and trying to reassure himself that he really isn't a monster. He knows that everyone, old and young, only call him such because he is the only one with red eyes. As the sun is setting, Lark wonders, "Do monsters really have red eyes..?". Meanwhile, at the courtyard of a large mansion, young Setz is hiding behind a bush. He is avoiding his servant Quz, who is searching for him and repeatedly calling his name, as it is time for the boy's next lesson. Setz, while smiling, secretly apologizes to his attendant, who cannot hear him. While running away, he says that it's been a long time since he last went on a journey. As Quz is still yelling the boy's name but is unable to locate him, he thinks with fear that the kid might have gone "outside" again, although he has always warned him against it. However, Setz journey does end up here, as he passes through a secret door hidden in a tree, and goes through a passageway full of many stairs. He then finds himself stepping out of the door of a small cottage, and then stares at the black sky he finds, mesmerised. He wonders whether his dad knows about this place or not, when he suddenly notices a depressed Lark sitting next to a tree, a few meters away. Surprised that he has just found human, Setz doesn't know what to do as it is the first one he's ever seen. When Lark notices him and asks who it is, Setz is hesitant to speak, but decides to reply and ends up introducing himself. He asks what Lark's name is, but as he turns around to answer, Setz notices that Larks eyes are red, like his. He grabs his face by its sides and asks him if he's a vampire too, but Lark is left dumbfounded at the word "vampire" and soon starts crying, denying being a monster. The chapter finishes with Setz desperately trying to calm Lark. Category:Chapters